Net News
USTR Posts Mutual
Recognition Paper
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has published a
paper entitled Professional
Services: Mutual Recognition Agreements (.pdf file). Bernard Ascher,
Director of Service Industry Affairs for the USTR, says that "this paper
should be useful in answering questions from foreign professionals and
organizations, as well as foreign governments and the general public." For
current information on the ongoing treaty negotiations visit the USTR's
Web site.
Antitrust
Guide
The US Federal Trade Commission has an antitrust guide online. See Promoting
Competition, Protecting Consumers:
A Plain English Guide to Antitrust Laws.
CIO
Transition Handbook
The National Association of State Chief
Information Officers (NASCIO) has released a Transition Handbook for New Chief
Information Officers (CIOs) and governors. The book's first section is an IT
assessment template designed for governors' transition teams and the second, a
transition manual for new CIOs. The manual includes chapters on the challenges
facing state CIOs, critical trends affecting the CIO organization, understanding
the complexities of state budgeting and finance, communicating with the press
and elected officials, responding to the Governor's priorities, tips for avoiding
missteps, and managing the state's information technology operations. You may
download a copy of the Transition
Handbook that includes both the Governor's Transition Team IT
Assessment Template and the Chief Information Officer Transition Handbook.
Center for Professional Responsibility
The American Bar Association's Center
for Professional Responsibility is a great US resource. The center has
annotated links to other legal ethics and professional responsibility pages
throughout the US.
CA Report Under Review
The third report on the California Contractors State License Board Enforcement
Program Monitor is currently under review by the California Department of
Consumer Affairs. A copy of the report is available
online (.pdf file).
Consumer Sentinel
Identity theft and other consumer fraud has caught the public's attention,
so Australia, Canada and the United States have put together a public site
called Consumer Sentinel
where visitors can report fraud and learn more about the leading types of fraud
and how agencies work together internationally to combat the problem.